Premier League 2015

Premier League 2015

Cup 2015

About

Football Club Banants was initially founded in 1992. Originally located in the city of Abovyan, the team relocated to the capital city, Yerevan, in 2001. The club, who are nicknamed the Proud Eagles, are amongst the most popular in Armenian football. In 2003, they merged with another club from the city, Spartak Yerevan, in an arrangement which saw Spartak operate as Banants' youth team. As a result, the team are widely considered to have one of the best youth academies in the country.

The team's main rivals are the two other major clubs from the city, FC Pyunik and FC Ararat. Due to the fact that Banants are relatively new to the city, the rivalry between FC Pyunik and FC Ararat is considered more significant than the rivalry between Banants and either of those sides. However, the rivalry between Banants and Pyunik has started to develop, with the teams competing strongly at academy level as well.

Banants have enjoyed their main success in the Armenian Cup, having won the competition on two occasions, in 1992 and 2007. To date, the club have been unable to win an Armenian Premier League title, but they have come close on several occasions. Indeed, in the 1992, 2003, 2006, 2007 and 2010 seasons, they finished as league runners up. Furthermore, they have represented their country in the UEFA Cup and the UEFA Europa League, with their best performance coming in 2005-06, where they were able to reach the second round of the qualification phase.

The club's home matches are held at Banants Stadium, which opened in 2008 and was built as part of FIFA's 'Goal Programme'. The venue originally opened with a capacity of 3,600, but renovations in 2011 modernised the ground further and expanded the number of seats to 5,000.